I knew my flat roof was bad but just found out toady that it needs replacement ASAP.
I live in Toronto. The roof is not too big, maybe 200-300 sq feet. I searched the forum and came up with references to membranes and torch roofs but I don’t know what they are!
What should I use to replace it? What will last the longest? Can I do it myself? Links to websites that can be of assistance, please.
Replies
For a DIY on a porch roof, strip it down and replace any damaged plywood. Might need to skin the whole thing over with 3/8" or 7/16"OSB to get smooth surface if it is boarded.
The material you should look for is a peel and stick type roll roofing like Polyglas ( their web site is atrocious - too much stuff)
EPDM rubber roof is for pros. It is a rubber sheet that you glue down with contact cement.
Torch down is more of an industrial ugly garbage that is dangerous to apply. The bitumen is part of the roll and a torch heats it to the right temp as you roll it carefully out.
Since this is a porch, I assume you need to remove some shingles to get the membrane up under the pitched roof ( never have a lap facing uphill to catch water) the low slope membrane should run up about 18" or so. Where the pitch changes, you install metal flashing to reinforce before applying the membrane.
Excellence is its own reward!
"EPDM rubber roof is for pros"
How come? I did a quick search and it looks pretty simple. Lay it down, fold half of it back and roll on the glue. Lay down that side and do the other. I have only one opening in the roof - the plumbing stack. I even found a local supplier who sells it. The flat roof meets the gable of the main roof. Easy or not?
OK, any decent tradesman or DIY who can read and follow instructions and understands the basics of roofin can do it.
I don't recommend stepping in wet contact cement when you are up on a roof tho. Some newbies can't seem to get things like that right.
And wear rubber gloves. The stuff can absorb through your skin.
And a roll of EPDM is very heavy.
And there is special neoprene flashing and caulking material to seal up the edges.
and...
Sure, anybody CAN do it. My first introduction to it was in a class when they wouldn't sell to the general public though, so some of that exclusive attitude got stuck to me, I guess..
Excellence is its own reward!
everything is easy if you gotta plan.. you need a flashing detail at the gable end.. you need a roof edge detail.. you need a flashing boot for the plumbing stack..
you should have uncured rubber and cut-in cement for the flashings and the edges.. and seam caulk for the edges..
we ususally install over a good deck.. with 1/2" hardboard and plates.. then apply our cement to the hardboard..
you need full adhesion.. and no loose edges... if the wind gets under an edge it can peel the whole sheet taking the bonding surface with it..
for a small roof like yours .. i like the polyglass that piffen was telling you aboutl.Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I recently had the same problem and replaced my flat steel-sheet porch roof with a EPDM rubber roof seven months ago. I am a do-it-yourselfer and this was my first experience with EPDM roofing. I obtained all the materials and directions for installation from Resource Conservation Technology, Inc., 2633 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD, 21218. There telephone number is 410 366-1146. Call them and ask for information on EPDM roofing. I am not aware of a web page for this company. Be prepared to make an accurate drawing of the roof to fax to RCT so they can give you a price on the materials and assemble the stuff if you decide to purchase the materials. Their instructions for installing the roof were very good. They usually ship the materials by UPS.
I started by changing the pitch on the roof from near 0 to about 1/4 inch per foot, although this isn't necessary because EPDM will work on a flat roof. I just prefer a roof that drains so there are no puddles because I walk on my porch roof often. At the same time, I installed smooth plywood sheathing giving me a good surface to glue the EPDM roof to. When you are ready to glue the roof down you will need some help (two more people probably) because the material is heavy and the glue is contact cement. I also recommend renting a 75 pound floor roller to roll out the roofing material and get out the bubbles that may get trapped between the roofing and the sheathing. This is a job to be done when the temperature is above 50 degrees F. My roof is not leaking since I installed the new EPDM roof. Fine Homebuilding did an article on single-ply roofing back in January 1991 that you might want to try to get a copy of.
Good info dude. Sounds like they put together a decent package. What's it come to per sq ft?.
Excellence is its own reward!
i use epdm quite alot. it really good for odd details.
the bibeest roof i have done is about 28'*16'. i did it on my own but i've have practise.
i just about managed to carry the epdm up the ladder on my own (only on the first floor).
the best tip that i can pass on to anyone who uses epdm is to let the contact cement really dry. that way it doesn't stick immediatley and gives you a bit of wiggle room.
then all you do is go over the whole thing with an old iron ( as in what you use on shirts) and the heat reactivates the glue et voila job done.
epdm is definatley the best material for the job but it takes getting the hang of.
good luck
aleks
I think that a competent DIYer can do an EPDM. But I would recommend that you use the latex adhesive. The contact cement has no room for error, once it touches, it's stuck. The latex adhesive allows you to move it around a bit. Also, with the latex, you only have to apply the glue to the roof surface. With the contact cement you have to apply to both surfaces.
Yes, the latex is more expensive, but I think it is well worth the cost.
The only problem I've had with the latex is one small area bubbled a few minutes after laying the rubber out. I don't know if I used too much glue (I had put it down a bit heavy) or the hot sun beating down on it caused a problem, or maybe a combination of the two.
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
It's usually a combination of the adhesive not being dry enough and the suns heat causing it to off-gas that brings up bubbles..
Excellence is its own reward!
i was not aware that you could use any other type of adhesive.
i other wat i have seen it done is to only glue the edges and ballast the rest with smooth pebbles.
never tried it though
aleks
Rich,
On a hot day,or in direct sunlight
when you roll out the latex adhesive you pretty much need to wait untill the glue just dries "clear". If it is still white and looking like elmers glue it's still to wet and once the rubber goes down the moisture will evaporate and cause a bubble.
On a really cool day you can flop the rubber over on to the wet glue and the moisture will be pulled into the plywood or celotex fiberboard underlayment and you will have minimal problems with bubbles.---BUT it will take a long time for the glue to grab---AND the latex adhesive doesn't glue well to metal.
A lot of times I use a hybrid method where I use the latex for the field and contact cement for edge details and quick bonding
All in all the epdm requires a good bit of experience to do a consistently nice job and to know when you can "cheat." I really don't think its a DIY project----although Elastoflex cerrtainly could be.
BTW folks,roll the epdm around a 2x4 or a cardboard tube and you will be able to carry it up the ladder much easier.
> Resource Conservation Technology, Inc., I am not aware of a web page for this company.
http://www.conservationtechnology.com
-- J.S.
Look for a product called KWIK PLY. It is EPDM, but is a "peel and stick" type of installation. Remove your old roofing first, install a new layer ( 7/16 or 3/8 OSB works good) as a backer for the EPDM. This stuff comes with a "primer" that you buy in a 5 gallon can and you brush the stuff on the backer board using throw away push brooms. This primer resembles a thinned down tar...which is sort of what it is. Let this primer dry...takes 20 to 30 minutes, then lay out your epdm , peel back the plastic seal, and slowly roll and stick the new roofing down in place. It takes a minimum of 2 people to lay down this roofing; period.
Also, if by chance the roofing material touches itself when you are laying it down, the material will instantly bond to itself and there is 100% absolutely NO WAY you can seperate the 2 pieces...it must be cut out, so care must be taken when rolling this stuff out onto the new deck surface. The primer helps this material bond, and it does bond rather well. It comes in black or white colors and cost is approx. $90 for 60 square feet. It comes in rolls 3 feet X 20 feet...I think you can purchase rolls of different widths & lengths, but this is the size my local supplier handles.
There are instructions inside each roll indicating where to lap and the size of lap seams, etc.
Davo
That sounds like an interesting way to market it and doable for one man but it negates one of the main reasons behind the developement of single ply roofing membranes - the near total elinination of laps and seams. In a quality product like this, the leaks are almost always in seams and have to do with instalation error. Multiply the number of seams and you multiply the odds of having a leak. Then market a system like that to DIYs with minimal training or experience and I question the marketing plan.
Not meant as an attack on you for having chosen it of course. Just analysing systems..
Excellence is its own reward!
The 60 mil thick EDPM rubber roof with molded corners, termination bars, flashing tape, adhesive, cleaner and caulk from Resource Conservation Technology, Inc. cost me $4.13 a square foot (finished roof area). The EDPM roofing material is about 5.5 feet wide and seams are made at the factory. RCT custom fabricates the EDPM rubber to the size required for your roof so you don't have to make watertight seams on the job. My roof was a little too wide for 11 feet of EDPM and a bit narrow for 16.5 foot wide rubber roofing (multiples of 5.5 feet). RTC made the rubber roofing 16.5 feet wide and I ended up with quite a bit of waste which added to the cost of the job.